Three Little Words
by WhenTheSkyeQuakes
Summary: It was slowly killing him inside, not being able to tell her how he really felt. So many times he'd wanted to, but he never had. Not even in the pod at the bottom of the ocean. Now, surrounded by lab equipment, tablets and a Kree stone more than a year after his love's disappearance, Leo Fitz is finally able to say those three little words - even if she isn't around to hear them.


**Hello everybody! I'm Kayla :) This is my first time writing AoS (or anything other than Lab Rats, for that matter), so I'd love some feed back. Before then, I'd like to express a bit of the thought that inspired this fic:**

 **I got the idea off of Instagram, crazy enough. I have a fan account called avenging_the_shield_agents , and one of the pages I was following put out a pic off of Tumblr that read something like "Imagine the team telling Fitz that there's no way to get Simmons back, that there's nothing left to try, and his response is "Maybe there is,"" So, here we are!**

 **If you like to listen to music while you read, I highly recommend "On Fire" by Switchfoot. Has a bit of a sad note to it. Link is in my bio :) Anyway, here we go! Enjoy!**

* * *

Fitz and Simmons.

He couldn't remember a time when their names hadn't been associated with each other. They'd always been together. Inseparable. Even their peers had known better than to even think about splitting them up.

Getting into SHIELD – it had seemed so simple at the time. Analyze, get paid to do what they loved. And together, non-the-less. It was the perfect solution. A win-win, as Jemma had put it.

So straight out of college, so young and ready to take on the world, Leo Fitz had eagerly put his Hancock on the little dotted line. That was it. He had been accepted into a well paying job with his best friend.

If only he had known that was the beginning of the end. That she wouldn't stay his best friend for long. What a huge weight that little dotted line carried.

The bus was a ticking time bomb. He should have seen it back then, so excited and introducing Jemma and himself to their would-be attempted murderer. It was only a matter of time before something went wrong. But, he barely knew what he was getting into.

They'd been through so much, but not once had he even thought of leaving. As far as he knew, Simmons hadn't either. Yes, it was all-consuming and sometimes downright frightening, but he'd found more than a job. Leo Fitz had found a family.

And that was how they carried on through SHIELD. Investigate this, protect that. Together. As a family. They all had secrets. They all had scars. But they all had each other.

Then HYDRA . . . and Ward. Fitz had lost a piece of that family – his brother. He'd felt so broken. So . . . lost. Nothing – _nothing –_ could compare to that feeling of complete and utter helplessness. Or, at least, that's what he told himself.

Now . . . now he was filled with that same feeling of helplessness. Of being so close, but unable to do anything, anything but try and help a loved one find their way back to him.

Jemma Simmons, his best friend, was trapped in an alien stone with no hope for escape. And now, when it was too late, his words came back to him.

 _You're more than that, Jemma._

Why had he kept to himself? Why hadn't he had the guts to tell her? When he'd been so close . . . on so many occasions. Now, separated by who knows what, Fitz couldn't suppress it any longer. He didn't just _like_ her, he loved her. She was the missing part of himself.

He'd almost lost her once, when he needed her most. He wasn't going to lose her again. Not his other half. Not Simmons.

* * *

Fingers danced over the keypad, rapidly firing off a sequence of digits. Fitz's focus was entirely on the screen in front of him, attempting for what seemed like the millionth time to trigger a reaction in the fateful Kree stone.

Nothing happened – the same result as the other tests.

A sigh escaped his lips. Running a hand through his hair, he slouched back in the desk chair. How many times he'd wanted to give up he'd lost count. But whenever he'd just about given up, just let her go, even for a few emotional seconds, he would remember the way she smiled at him and the way her hand was so comforting on his shoulder. He couldn't bring himself to admit it, that she was really and truly gone. His Simmons was out there somewhere, and he was going to find her and never let her go.

A creak of the floorboards alerted him to the presence of another being. Pulling his face from his hand, he turned to see Skye – er, Daisy – holding a plate of food. A small, sad grin graced her lips when he tried to smile. It came out as more of a grimace.

"You missed lunch again, Fitz," she crossed the room quietly, setting the paper plate on the one empty spot on his otherwise overflowing desk. "Shame, too. Lincoln and I were messing with the blender. Turns out we can make a pretty mean smoothie," her hand raised, as if to touch his shoulder, before she remembered. Her hands instead began to wring together.

Fitz smiled, though it didn't quite reach his tired blue eyes. "I'm sure you can. You'll have to show us sometime. Jemma would love that."

A sad smile crept onto her face. "Fitz . . . I . . . I think it's time to give it up." tears began to make her eyes glitter, and she swallowed thickly before continuing. "It's been over a year. I . . ." a tear slipped down her cheek as she finished quietly, "I think she's gone,"

The mood changed abruptly. Fitz's posture went rigid. He leaned forward, elbows on the desk, and began typing. He didn't look back at Daisy. "Y'know, she agreed to go on a date with me. We're going to go tonight. I just need to pick her up."

A small whimper escaped her before the words poured out in a rush. "Fitz, this isn't healthy. You're like my brother, and I can't stand to see you suffer any longer. I know you love her, and she loved you. But you need to let her go. She's gone, as much as I don't want to say it. She's in a better place. Jemma was one of the first people I trusted, like a sister to me, and I'd do anything to get her back. But I can't. There's nothing left to try."

Fitz remained unmoved, fingers flitting across the keys. "Maybe there is."

* * *

"Hello, Jemma. How are you doing today? I hope you're doing well." Fitz wrung his hands together after he set the steaming mug of coffee on his desk. Sitting down, he began working out a chemical compound on a tablet. "Alright, get this – Mack, you know, we were hanging out in the garage like usual. Talking about Lola – _please_ don't tell Coulson – when all of a sudden, this little smoking piece of fluff just falls of the catwalk above us. Mack whipped a pistol out of who knows where, squealing like a lil' girl, and I just bravely kicked it in midair! It turns out both Daisy and Lincoln have taken it upon themselves to rid this place of the rats. Lincoln zapped the critter, and Daisy quaked it over the edge. Don't worry, I scolded them good."

He continued tapping, the DWARFS coming to hover around the stone inside the glass. Taking another deep breath, Fitz continued speaking whilst supervising the drones.

"I didn't want to tell you this, for fear I might worry you, but Coulson's ordered me to stop searching for you. To move on, he says. He can't stand to see me like this, I can tell. This . . ." he cleared his throat. "This is the last test. So please, _please_ , let it work. I can't live without you, Jemma. I . . ."

His eyes burned and his throat constricted. Fitz felt like he couldn't breathe – something he hadn't felt since The Incident. Here it was, the words he could never directly say. A spark that had started the day they met, now burning. Ten years, it led up to this.

" . . . I love you, Jemma Simmons."

And with that, Fitz slammed his fist on the button on the tablet. The DWARFS began to shower the black stone with a light green chemical, coating every inch of the surface. The process only took five minutes in all, but to Fitz it was a lifetime. Watching with bated breath, his eyes next to overflowing, he studiously watched the results.

Bobbi was walking by outside Fitz's work area, heading to spar with May. A liquid hiss caught her attention, and she poked her head through the cracked door to see Fitz sitting crosslegged on the floor. His head was in his hands, quiet sobs escaping his mouth. Inside the glass enclosure, his DWARFS continued to spray some form of liquid onto the monolith.

She crept quietly into the room, crossing as quietly as possible before sitting cross legged next to him. They sat there in silence, two friends mourning for their lost third. The young engineer was too distraught to even notice her presence until quite a few minutes later.

Bobbi offered a watery smile. "I heard about . . . what Coulson said."

He nodded, wiping furiously and tried to compose himself. Like HYDRA, more tears took their place. "I was close, so _close_. I was . . . I was _positive_ it would work. Why? Why won't it work? The math, the science, the data . . . there's nothing wrong with my head, is there?" his chest shuddered as he sucked in a breath before continuing more quietly. "Why is the one thing I love stolen from me? The one thing I can't live without?"

Awkwardly, Bobbi pulled him in a side hug. "I . . . I don't know."

And it was then, Fitz realized, that he wasn't the only one affected by this. No, everyone was mourning. The seasoned, weathered agent next to him was crying. Who knew how many more tears had been shed while he was cooped up in this room with his feelings?

"You've done everything you can. There's nothing you can do, Fitz." a shuddering sob worked its way up her throat. "It's like saying: if you really love something, it'll come back to you."

Fitz nodded, trying to take comfort in her words. "Like you and Hunter."

Bobbi nodded, no more words shared between them. Wordlessly, they stared into the empty box. What seemed like hours later, Bobbi quietly stood up and padded back out into the hallway.

Over the next few hours, members of the team came and went from the room to pay their respects. Few words were spoken, just a moment of silence and rememberance. Mack stood quietly off to the side. Coulson laid a hand on his shoulder, whispering an apology before leaving. May stood in her usual graceful manner, and if Fitz wasn't mistaken, her eyes looked a tinge wet. Daisy left a bouquet of Simmon's favorite flowers. Hunter came in offering a pillow and a beer, of all things. He left as quietly as he came.

Before he knew it, it was eleven at night. Fitz stood only to grab a blanket, returned to his spot on the ground, and made a small bed with the pillow Hunter left. Before he knew it, he'd cried himself to sleep.

* * *

Deep in the night, Fitz in a dead sleep and the remainder of the team in their bunks, the Kree stone stirred.

It was barely noticeable. A slight twitch at the most. But it was enough, and another movement was triggered. With a groan, the fateful stone gave up its stolen prize. Jemma Simmons emerged from the inky black sea, unconscious, and slumped against the glass door.

The door appeared to have been slightly ajar, as it swung open, dumping Simmons onto the floor next to her beloved Fitz. And there she stayed, her first restful sleep in over a year.

* * *

Fitz awoke slowly, his eyes lids sticky with tears and his mouth stale. His side ached from where it had been in contact with the ground all night long. For now, however, he was perfectly content to remain where he was. No sense in moving if there was no hope he'd never see his best friend again, anyway.

So there he lay, for a good ten minutes, simply existing. But gradually, as he became more awake, he became aware of a body breathing behind him.

Carefully and cautiously, he turned, scared to find out who had fallen asleep next to him. The answer, however, was not at all as he expected.

Hope soared for a moment before he pushed it down. It was just another hallucination. One of the many that had plagued him over the harsh past months. But he couldn't resist himself, even if he was just setting himself up for more disaster down the road.

Fitz carefully, delicately, brushed a knuckle over her cheek. It was almost scary how realistic his mind could imagine her. Almost as if she were really here, beside him.

What happened next shocked him. Her eyelids fluttered open, hazel eyes meeting his blues. And it was just as he remembered her. Those beautiful orbs staring up at him, lightly freckled face and her caramel hair. Even her clothing was the same as the day he had lost her.

"F-Fitz?" the question came from her dry, cracking lips, and for a moment she really _was_ there. It sounded just like her. But, then again, it always did.

He sighed, pulling his hand back. "Knew it was too good to be true."

And with that, he turned back over. Might as well sleep a bit longer instead of having his emotions toy with him.

"No – Fitz, it's me, Jemma." her small hands grabbed his shoulders, rolling him to face her. A wide smile was completely covering her face, lighting it up with such joy that he hadn't seen nor felt since she left. "You – You did it, Leo! It's me, you brought me back, you saved me!"

Fitz stared at her in shock for a moment. That moment turned into a full two minutes. Every passing second dimmed her joyful demeanor a few watts. Tears began to fill her eyes, and Fitz's heart broke.

"Y-You're real? This isn't my head messing with me again?" his eyes carefully studied her face. Slowly, a hand came up to take hers. "This is really you, the Jemma who I met on a dare in high school?"

"Yes, it's me, Fitz!" A tear rolled down her cheek, and before he knew what was happening, they were hugging each other. They were squeezing so hard he was sure he'd never be able to breathe again. But this time, it didn't matter. She was home, and he wasn't going to ever let her go.

They stayed there for a minute, just remembering what they each thought they'd lost forever. It was Fitz who broke it.

"What was it like?"

She pulled her head back just enough to look at him. Simmons smiled bittersweetly. "Like watching the world go on from inside. Not being able to move or speak. Just listening and witnessing."

His face paled. "Listening?"

She gave a small laugh at his expression. "Yes, Fitz. Listening."

"Then – Then you heard me say . . . "

"Those three little words?"

"Um – yes."

"Yes."

"A-And how do you feel . . . about that, I mean?" his eyes searched hers, searching for any sign of disappointment or hesitancy. Any sign that she didn't return his feelings. He found none.

"It feels - right," Simmons smiled at him, that smile that he knew he'd never get tired of seeing. Something fluttered in his chest and a grin spread across his face.

He pulled her into another hug and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you,"

She let out a small joyful laugh. "And I love you,"

How long they stayed like that, neither knew. All they knew was that Daisy had been searching for Fitz, finally finding him in his make-shift lab. It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise as to his whereabouts, but it was the last place she looked. And when she finally did pull open the door, her face turned chalk-white.

"S-Simmons?" her dark eyes were wide with disbelief. "Is that really you?"

Simmons pulled away from Fitz, eyes teary and sparkling. She beamed up at her. "Skye! Goodness, I've missed you!"

She jumped up, stumbling as gracefully as a newborn calf for a moment before making her way to her friend. Daisy stood, awestruck, as Simmons pulled her into a tight squeeze. It was a moment before she found it in herself to hug back. The ground began to quiver beneath them, and Simmons grinned.

The rest of the team followed the tremors, finding their long-lost member talking animatedly with Daisy. The result was utter joy – Coulson first grabbing a blow torch from Fitz's desk and melting the box shut before welcoming her back. Even May gave her hand a squeeze, not that she would ever admit it.

"Well, I think Daisy and I have to go make some smoothies," Lincoln, who'd been standing a bit awkwardly off to the side, took Daisy's hand with a smile. "Fitz told us you'd be delighted."

"So I heard." she laughed. "That'd be very nice, thank you. I haven't eaten in fourteen months!"

The rest of the team added their laughter before they all headed to the kitchen. But, Fitz had other plans as he came behind her, picking her up bridal style amid the team's continued laughter and Hunter's wolf whistles. To her shock and delight, he carried her to the couch, set her down gently, and headed to make a phone call.

Something about a ring and dinner, if she wasn't mistaken.

* * *

 **What do you think? My first shot at AoS, we'll see how OOC you guys think they are XD Oh, and romance. Thoughts? No flames, please :)**

 **I'm open to a sequel, depending on whether you'd like one or not. But for now, thank you for reading! I'd love a review or two :D Til next time!**


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